Jon Nowaczyk

Jon Nowaczyk Served in 101st Airborne Division, as a Chinook Pilot in Command with deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and Central America. A licensed commercial instrument pilot, avid golfer he enjoys camping, boating, hunting, motorcycles, and traveling. A military brat himself, he grew up all over the world from Japan to Germany and Alaska. After his military career, he settled down in Michigan with his wife and 4 kids and continues to fly as an EMS Pilot.

GearAid ARC Rechargeable Light and Power Station: The go everywhere light

GearAid ARC Rechargeable Light and Power Station: What you need for the next blackout

If you have ever been camping, scuba diving or done anything in the outdoors, you most likely have had to repair something with tape, glue or some kind of sealant. Insert GearAid. If you have never heard of them, you may not be alone. They started fixing gear in 1981 when SCUBA divers realized Aquaseal was stronger than their wetsuits. They are now known as the go-to company for the outdoors, sporting goods and SCUBA industries. Everyone has their go-to product for fixing things (Duct Tape if you are like me). GearAid has a full array of care and repair items to suit all of your outdoor needs.

GearAid doesn’t just offer care and repair products. They offer a variety of tools, knives, and an assortment of other outdoor related products and replacement parts.

Recently I was out of town for work and we had a power outage in our subdivision. It seems to always happen when I am at work or out of town for some reason. My wife called me and asked where all of the flashlights are and I reminded her that we had the GearAid Rechargeable Light and Power Station. She put the Arc Light and Power Station on the coffee table in the living room and had enough light for the living room and the kitchen. She kept the light on the medium power setting and had no issues for the six plus hours that the power was out.

Back side (power settings/light Level) and USB charging port

Mulitfunctional:

Not only did the Arc Light provide hours of light for her during that time. Her battery was dying on her phone so I reminded her that that was a 1.5 amp USB charging port on the back of the light. Problem solved (kinda). She commented later that “this little light thing” was awesome. The Lithium-Ion battery in this thing is a rock star. Fully charged and on the brightest setting, the Arc can turn night into day for up to eight hours. Use the built-in stand or hang it up with the hook and you are hands-free to chop wood or supervise the chopping of the wood.

If you are in the market for a multifunctional light/power station, don’t overlook the Arc. It may be small in size, but it packs quite the punch. There is no doubt that if we are anywhere in the outdoors, this little beauty will definitely be in my pack.

Specs Courtesy of GearAid:

- Weight: 16 oz
- Size 4.9”x 4.5″ x 1.6″
- Cell Capacity: 10,400 mAh (38Wh)
- Cell Type: Lithium Ion
- Lumens: 20-320
- Brightness Settings: 10
- Run Time: 8-96 hours
- USB Output: 5V 1.5A
- Micro-USB Input: 5V 2A
- Durability: IP65
- Color Temperatures: 6500k, 4200k, 3000k
- Not for use in marine environments

Solo Black Ops Altitude Backpack: Ready for the urban jungle

The Solo Black Ops Altitude Backpack is a fashionable yet durable pack for EDC. I have never heard of Solo New York gear until receiving this pack. After doing a little bit of digging, they started developing items ranging from backpacks to tablet cases to briefcases in 2008 with a style and functionality inspired by the streets of New York.

The Altitude is a fairly straightforward backpack, available in 4 different colors. It may look small on the outside but this pack actually is quite roomy on the inside. My daughter has actually taken this from me and now uses it on a daily basis at college for carrying around her laptop, Ipad, and other everyday use essentials. With two good sized inner compartments, one being a fully padded 17.3″ laptop compartment. It can hold nearly any laptop with room to spare. The other inner compartment is plenty big enough to hold a few textbooks, (according to Abby anyway). There is also a tablet/Ipad compartment inside the main compartment. A front zippered organizer section, that when unclipped gives way to a hidden little pouch (good for holding wallet, keys etc).

Construction

The Altitude is put together very well. From the military grade velcro and the aviator-inspired hardware. This lightweight, ultra-durable parachute nylon backpack empty is light as a feather. Even when you load it down, the padded back and straps make the load much more comfortable. After seeing this bag and others that Solo New York offers, I would not hesitate to jump on board. Their design makes it so that it is good for an urban EDC but not so that it looks like you are heading to the range for a day of shooting with a tactical style bag.

Dimensions: Courtesy of Solo New York

Body size: 18.50” x 12.6” x 4.92”
Weight: 2.2 lbs

Grey Ghost Gear Wanderer messenger bag

I was given the opportunity to review the Grey Ghost Gear Wanderer Messenger Bag on a Trip to Orlando, Florida. My wife and I shared the duties of carrying the bag, mainly because we wanted to give it a true test. And she didn’t want to carry it the whole time while I was carrying nothing. This was the first time I have carried a messenger style bag. While not using all of the available pockets, I could still see myself using this bag in the future.

Compartments

This heavy-duty Messenger Bag by Grey Ghost Gear allows storage of all your essential travel gear. Inside the main compartment, we loaded a 17-inch laptop, iPad, two light jackets, notebooks and an assortment of pens, pencils, markers and highlighters. Once we passed the security checkpoint test, we loaded a couple of large water bottles and a few bags of snacks. Because who doesn’t love a small $12 bag of peanuts. The flap itself has storage on the outside. It’s two 9″ X 5″ zippered pockets are lined with a soft tricot fabric. Perfect for smaller items like our sunglasses and cell phones. Additionally, the flap is secured with two magnetic snaps that just seem to snap themselves. The front of the bag features two vertical zippers that access two smaller pockets. Accommodating storage for a myriad of small supplies (extra batteries, cords, etc).

If carrying office supplies isn’t your thing and you want to take this to the range, no problem. The main compartment will also accept a PDW rifle with the stock collapsed. Plus the end pockets are perfect for stashing a pair of AR magazines. Finally, a cleaning kit and lube can be tucked away in the front zippered area.

Messenger Bag Construction

This messenger bag screams quality and durability with a combination of a waxed canvas outer shell and waterproof zippers. All of your valuables inside will remain secure and dry and should last a lifetime. Constructed from seat belt webbing, the adjustable shoulder strap will fit the biggest gym rat to the smallest frame and will handle any load your shoulder can sustain. Finally, if you are looking for a travel bag or a bag to take to the range, look no further, the Grey Ghost Gear Wanderer bag will do the trick, and look good doing it.

External measurements:

Length: 20.5″
Height: 11.5″
Width: 4.5″

Hobie CRUZR-A Polarized Sunglasses | Quick Look

Hobie Alter’s dream was born in his parents’ garage in 1950 when Hobie decided to apply his love of woodworking to the sport of surfing. In the years to follow, plenty of other ocean innovations emerged from Hobie’s imagination to include their world-famous polarized sunglasses in the early 80s. With this progression insert the Hobie CRUZR-A polarized sunglasses.

On a recent trip to Florida for Spring Break, I had the chance to review the Hobie CRUZR-A polarized sunglasses. Being primarily an Oakley guy, I had never worn a pair of Hobie’s and figured this would be the perfect time to do it. Although I didn’t go out on the water with them, I decided to give them a try on the beach for six days.

Out of the Box

Initially, out of the box, I thought that the glasses looked huge, like a pair of grandpa driving glasses. Once I put them on I realized I was wrong. They actually fit great, almost like they were made for my face. The arms did not dig into the side of my head like I thought they would. The retainer system was simple and works very well, just a clip on the arm and done, which is a nice feature to have whether on the water or land. The lenses were crystal clear and I was actually able to look at my phone and not get the polarized blur like from other glasses. Overall I am impressed with the quality and clarity that the Hobie CRUZR-A polarized sunglasses provide. Definitely, a go-to pair for me in the future.

CRUZR-A Features courtesy of hobiepolarized.com:

- Hydroclean™ Plus Polycarbonate lenses
- TR-90 Frame
- Durable Precision Flex Hinges
- Megol Rubber Anti-Fog Gasket
- 8 Base Polarized Lenses
- L Fit 64-18-125
- RX Friendly

Rockwell Coliseum Fit Kryptek Yeti | Tracking without the tether

I was given the opportunity to try out the Rockwell Coliseum Fit watch. Previous to this I had never heard or Rockwell Time before but after doing a little research I was eager to give it a go. I have been looking for a fitness watch that I didn’t have to link to my phone so the timing was perfect.

Out Of the Box

The first thing that I noticed when I took the watch out was how beefy and heavy feeling it was. I mean this watch is stout, this not your dainty Fitbit or apple watch at all. I have tried the Fitbit and currently sport the Apple watch. Those are almost too nice to take to the gym and abuse them. While the Coliseum Fit does look great, it boasts a unique stadium-style double bezel which will take a beating and then ask for more.

Fit

Rockwell talks about their CradleFit™ bracelet with a proprietary Prismatic Cell dorsal texture for ultimate comfort and performance. All I know is that it feels like this watch was personally designed for my wrist. I like the thickness of the band and how it tapers from 30MM at the bezel down to 20mm at the end.

Rockwell Coliseum Fit Kryptek Yeti | Tracking without the tether — Kryptek Yeti

Setup

Setting up the Coliseum Fit was a breeze. Rockwell made this even easier on their website with a six plus minute video that walks you through setup from the date/time, to your personal information (height, weight, stride length) for the fitness aspect of the piece. There wasn’t a need for me to set alarms, I still do use my phone for certain things, although I think the thing that I like the most is that I didn’t have to pair it to my phone. I just set it up and away I went, it was nice to leave the phone and just disconnect for a while.

Performance

The Rockwell Coliseum Fit handled everything that I could throw at it and then some. With the correct stride length inserted the step counter was pretty darn accurate. Two thumbs up from this gym goer.

Specs courtesy of Rockwelltime.com:

Case Size: 49mm
Band Width: CradleFit™ / Prismatic Cell 30mm tapering to 20 mm
Materials: ABS/PU
Lens Material: PMMA
Water Resistance: 10 ATM
Battery Type: Lithium
Dual Time / Chronograph with Lap/Split, Countdown Timer, 8 Alarms, Step Counter (activity tracker), Calories Burned

Case size: 49mm
Band Width: Cradle Fit / Prismatic Cell 30mm tapering to 20 mm
Lens material: puma
Water resistance: 10 atm
Dual time/chronograph with lap/Split, countdown timer, 8 alarms, step counter (activity tracker), calories burned

QALO Silicone Rings: A durable comfortable wedding band alternative

Functional

Are you a hunter, fisherman, love shooting guns, or are you just a general outdoors kind of person. Have you been climbing down from somewhere and your wedding ring gets hung up on something and you say “whew that was a close one “? Throw a QALO (Q-Quality, A-Athletics, L-Love, O-Outdoors) silicone ring on your finger and you need to worry no more.

I remember my instructor telling me on my first day on the flight line to put my wedding ring in my pocket. He said it could get caught on something while I was preflighting and climbing all over the helicopter. Of course being much younger and obviously knowing way more than he did, I kept my ring on. That is until the one day when I saw someone get their finger caught while climbing down from the Chinook. Let’s just say, it wasn’t pretty. From that day forward I always wore my ring around my dog tag chain.

Stylish

It has been 18 years since that day at the flight line, and I am still crawling up and down helicopters. I am glad that I found QALO a few years ago. They have been in the silicone ring business since 2012 when two guys decided they hated their metal wedding bands and wanted an alternative that was comfortable and safe. These rings are awesome, I have a few that I rotate on a regular basis. I wear the camouflage if I am outdoors. The slate grey one most of the time on a daily basis. And for a night on the town, I will throw on the Pearl. They have quite the selection of ring styles and colors for both men and women alike. They have a military discount as well as a First Responders discount, and their customer service is second to none.

If you are looking to replace that metal wedding band and want something stylish, comfortable and inexpensive, check out the line of QALO silicone rings.